Album Review

R. Kelly proved to be one of the most influential male R&B vocalists of the '90s, and Avant certainly doesn't escape his influence on My Thoughts — the singer's debut album and the first album to come out on basketball icon Magic Johnson's MCA-distributed Magic Johnson Music. Like Chicago native Kelly, Avant is from the Midwest; his home town is Cleveland, and his connection to the Windy City includes his Chicago-based producer Steve "Stone" Huff and his Chicago-based manager Eric Payton, who is among this CD's executive producers. Kelly's influence, in fact, is impossible to miss on My Thoughts, a competent, if uneven, effort that Huff produced. Much of the material is routine urban contemporary fare, but on the album's best tracks, you can hear Avant's potential. Arguably the CD's best offering, "My First Love" is a remake of a Rene & Angela ballad that features female vocalist Ketara Wyatt and boasts a delicious '70s-like string arrangement by Tom-Tom 2000. Also likable is the melancholy hit "Separated," the moody "This Time," and the candid "Let's Make a Deal," an Avant/Huff composition that finds the singer declaring that a relationship cannot be one-sided. If Avant's phrasing sometimes brings to mind Ronald Isley, it's no coincidence — the Isley Brothers are a major influence on Kelly, who is Avant's primary influence. This isn't to say that My Thoughts is in a class with the Isley Brothers' work, or even Kelly's albums. My Thoughts isn't mind-blowing, but it's decent more often than not and lets us know that Avant has potential.

Customer Reviews

just simply remarkable...

by
cjnwo4life

hee is effortless and a genius....he's REAL R&B...he is who he is....the songs on here are going to melt you...you HAVE 2 buy this album....just fantastic!

Avant

by
JUN ! "SUPERSTAR" !

Seperated Is A Great Song For Great Music Lovers, So Don't Be Shy & Download Soon Before It's Too Late!

Separated

by
MRS. RMT

I like Avant, even though people call him a wannabe R. Kelly. He has really put out some great songs over the years. One of those great songs is the remix to Separated with Kelly Rowland. Where is it, iTunes? Can we get that song, please?

Biography

Born: April 26, 1978 in Cleveland, OH

Genre: R&B/Soul

Years Active: '90s, '00s, '10s

Hailed as the "new voice of ghetto soul" and the first act signed to basketball great Magic Johnson's Magic Johnson Music, Cleveland native Avant (born Myron Avant) debuted in 1998 with the song "Separated," released on Payton Entertainment -- the label operated by his manager, Eric Payton. The single received airplay on top-rated Chicago radio station WGCI prior to being selected for inclusion on the 1999 MCA compilation Summer Heat. This set the stage for the May 2000 release of Avant's debut album,...